All this week: Art Basel coverage. Comes tomorrow, a slightly updated version of the Basel Guide for Normal People from Critical Miami. Here today: some reading to get us into the mood.

“The feverish pace of art-buying is done” — an article in Spiegel Online makes the obvious analysis that the frenzy of buying shall to be tempered this year. First drop prices at New York art auctions, then at Art Basel sales, then galleries start closing (the article predicts that 30-40% may not make it), then artist careers wither. Basel may be “the litmus test” of how bad the recession will hit the world art market. Unlike the article’s writers, I’m not counting on Russian collectors to save the day. Drops in oil prices have done to the mood there what the banking crisis did in the US. (via)

A more optimistic note from Miami’s Artlurker. Also, Steve Kaplan sees the upside of the de-emphasizing of money, arguing that this year’s fair may be “the most democratic yet,” in the sense that the decrease in cash creates opportunities for less commercial interests.

Another epic list of events at Soul of Miami blog, oddly with all links to various Tampa Bay Examiner pages, of which the coverage is actually pretty good. So you might as well refer to their overview of the fairs.

Performing at Art Loves Music Wednesday night will beGang Gang Dance. [Update: everybody and their mother says NO, it’s Yelle ]. Performing at the Nada opening will be Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

If all the fairs and events aren’t quite enough for you, swing by the Sagamore Hotel, which has its own program of events and an art installation.

New York Post’s Page Six, with a dubious list of “not to miss” parties.

“With everything that’s happening in the world right now, we need to slow down and spend more time looking at works.” An interview with Rosa de la Cruz.

No stress — Lolo told you and you said she told you, plus it looks like you’re right.

Personally, I’m more concerned about how to shuffle NADA and Art Loves Music. Deerhoof played the NADA opening last year, and while the opeing (4-9pm) is a fundrasier ($$$) event, i heard the show itself was free. SO I suspect the thing to do is go to NADA at 9 and try to catch Casiotone, then rush back to the beach for 10-ish (I seem to recall the Iggy show last year starting relatively on time) to catch GGD (or WHATEVER).

Wow, excellent collection of links. I got here through a referrer link from my site, soulofmiami.org. Thanks for the bump. Just a note, the Examiner info is mine as well. The way their site works is nutso, but all that info is me.